Golf mats used at driving ranges suffer considerable damage through ordinary, unintentional but abusive use. The golfer practicing his shots from the tee will often hit the mat with his club rather than cleanly hitting the ball off of the tee. The substantial usage the golf mat receives gives the mat a very short lifetime because of the damage done to the mat in the area of the tee.
Another problem with conventional golf mats is that they will delaminate along the peripheral edges. Accordingly, what is needed is a golf mat which has been substantially strengthened and is resistant to unintentional abusive wear and tear. The mat should include parts which may be readily replaced as they wear out saving replacing the entire mat. Protection should be provided on the edges of the mat to prevent separation of the laminations.
This invention addresses another specific problem that exists with golf mats. The golfer expects the mat to simulate the grass on the golf course in both looks and feel. Therefore, artificial turf needs to be used on a cushion-type surface. The problem is that the golf club striking the artificial turf on the cushion destroys the cushion and delaminates the turf from the cushion. What is needed is a means and method for bonding the artificial turf to a ground-like cushion to as effectively as possible simulate actual golf course conditions.